Morocco and France strengthen migration cooperation in landmark assembly
On the sidelines of Morocco’s semi-annual Consuls General assembly, organized by the Kingdom’s Embassy in France, senior officers from the Ministries of Interior and Foreign Affairs held an unprecedented assembly on the embassy on Friday, at Morocco’s invitation.
According to a joint assertion issued after the assembly, the French delegation included Simon Fetet, Director of Immigration on the Ministry of the Interior and co-president of the Moroccan-French Permanent Joint Migration Group; Mathilde Grammont, Diplomatic Advisor to the Minister of the Interior; Frédéric Rimoux, Deputy Ambassador for Migration on the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs; and Delphine Montuelle, Head of the Deportation Department on the Directorate of Immigration.
The Moroccan delegation included Khalid Zerouali, Director of Migration and Border Surveillance on the Ministry of the Interior and co-president of the Moroccan-French Permanent Joint Migration Group; Bouchta Fahli, Director of General Intelligence on the General Directorate of National Security; Fouad Kadmiri, Director of Consular and Social Affairs on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation, and Moroccan Expatriates; and Samira Sitaïl, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco to France.
The assembly centered on cooperation in readmission, stopping unlawful departures, and enhancing the processing of consular journey permits required for imposing departure obligations from France. This session, constructing on the earlier assembly of the Migration Group in Marrakesh in October, allowed the French delegation to change views with 17 Moroccan Consuls General stationed throughout France.
The two-hour session offered a possibility for productive dialogue on strengthening migration cooperation between Morocco and France, with consular work enjoying a central function. The initiative aligns with the shared imaginative and prescient of each international locations’ leaders, King Mohammed VI and President Macron, as expressed throughout their October state go to in Rabat.
As outlined within the distinctive partnership declaration signed on October 28, 2024, the aim is to create a complete agenda for migration cooperation, encompassing common mobility facilitation, combating irregular migration, and enhancing coordination amongst international locations of origin, transit, and vacation spot based mostly on shared accountability.
The assembly additionally displays the continuing exchanges between Interior Minister Abdelouafi Laftit and his French counterpart Bruno Retailleau, following their discussions through the French president’s go to to Rabat. Both sides expressed satisfaction with the improved readmission indicators and praised the function of governors and consuls basic in advancing the joint migration technique. The Moroccan facet additionally counseled France’s efforts to advertise authorized migration, notably for college kids, noting the constructive development in visa issuance charges. The safety of the Moroccan group in France, a key factor of bilateral relations, was central to the discussions.
The French delegation acknowledged Morocco’s efforts in managing migration flows, acknowledging the continuing enchancment in cooperation. They expressed gratitude to Morocco for organizing the assembly, which superior the bilateral migration technique. The subsequent analysis of this cooperation will happen within the first quarter of 2025, through the subsequent assembly of the Moroccan-French Permanent Joint Migration Group in France.
The Moroccan-French Permanent Joint Migration Group was established in May 2018, with its first assembly held in Marrakesh.
